Samsung, LG focus on connectivity, smart home; Keen interest in SK chief’s possible meet-up with Nvidia CEO
South Korean tech giants are set to showcase their latest artificial intelligence innovations at this year’s CES, the world’s largest tech show, scheduled for Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas, US.
The event, organized under the theme, “Connect. Solve. Discover. DIVE IN,” will feature about 4,500 companies from 160 countries, marking about 30 percent increase in participation when compared to 2024. Some 140,000 visitors are expected to attend.
In Korea, about 800 companies will take part, including the country’s top tech giants, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and SK Group.
With AI being the focal point of this year’s show, the number of AI-powered products is expected to increase by more than 50 percent when compared to 2024, according to event organizers.
Samsung Electronics is set to showcase its latest technologies for future homes incorporating AI technology, bringing its advanced screen technology to a wider range of home appliances to upgrade the house chore experience.
The tech giant is introducing new 9-inch and 7-inch screens on home appliances such as refrigerators, ovens and laundry machines all connected to its SmartThings connectivity platform. This allows seamless remote controlling of the devices, the company said.
“We have been leading the development of screen appliances to elevate our consumers’ experiences with innovative features and functionalities,” Samsung Vice President Jeong Seung Moon, who leads the company’s R&D Team for Digital Appliances Business, said. “Along with those efforts towards enhancing usability, we are expanding consumer options by developing screens of different sizes and products that effectively incorporate them.”
According to Samsung, the screens will provide essential information about tasks such as washing machine cycle information, and serve as convenient control hubs for users to monitor and manage their connected devices. Users would also be able to control the appliances with their voice, a feature supported by virtual assistant Bixby.
On the eve of the official opening of the tech show, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Han Jong-hee, who oversees the company’s electronic appliances business, will hold a press conference to share the company’s strategic vision.
Other Samsung companies, including Samsung SDS and Samsung Display, will also set up separate booths to showcase their innovations to potential global clients.
Samsung Display, in particular, plans to unveil the world’s first 18.1-inch foldable OLED display, roughly the size of two tablets that can be folded down to a 13-inch screen, similar to a size of a small laptop.
LG Electronics is also focusing on introducing its AI-driven home technologies, expanding the experience into the mobility sector.
The company said it will exhibit a concept vehicle featuring the LG Mobility Experience platform, which allows users to create a multifaceted, multipurpose space inside the car. Using a modular package system and powered by LG’s AI Home solution, the platform integrates the company’s appliance hardware and AI technologies to transform the vehicle cabin into an “extension of a home,” LG said.
“The innovative MX platform, based on the concept of ‘Space-as-an-Experience,’ leverages LG’s strength in appliances and AI Home technology to present a new direction for mobility experiences,” said Lyu Jae-cheol, president of the LG Home Appliance Solution. “Pursuing our Zero Labor Home vision, we will continue to connect and expand customer experiences across all aspects of daily life.”
LG will also highlight its latest in-cabin sensing solution, powered by AI, designed to detect driver behavior and interior conditions of a vehicle. The solution will also be available for visitors to experience firsthand at the event.
The electronics giant will also unveil its expanded second-generation LG Signature lineup at CES 2025, which includes premium home appliances such as refrigerators and diswashers. The company said the showcase is organized to show its commitment to advancing smart home solutions.
SK Group, Korea’s second-largest conglomerate by revenue, will host a joint exhibition booth at the CES, showcasing up-to-date and future technologies from its affiliates, SK hynix, SK Telecom, SKC and SK Enmove.
SK hynix will be a key hightlight at the group’s booth, showcasing its cutting-edge memory technologies, which are essential for driving the AI boom. As the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker currently leading the AI memory chip market, SK hynix is set to unveil a range of AI-optimized products, including the popular high bandwidth memory chip and next-generation memory solutions like Processing-in-Memory products.
“We will broadly introduce solutions optimized for on-device AI and next-generation AI memory, as well as representative AI memory products such as HBM and eSSD at this CES,” said Justin Kim, the company’s chief marketing officer. “Through this, we will publicize our technological competitiveness to prepare for the future as a ‘Full Stack AI Memory Provider.’”
Anticipation is also growing over whether SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won will meet with Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang to discuss collaboration on the next-generation HBM4, a critical component for enhancing the performance of Nvidia’s advanced graphic processing units for AI applications.
At an AI forum in November, Chey revealed that Huang had asked him to expedite the supply of HBM4 by six months for Nvidia’s Runbin R100 AI graphic processing units, slated for release this year. As the leader of the SK Group, with SK hynix, the world’s leading HBM maker, as an affiliate, Chey met with Huang several times to discuss their supply partnership, he said.
Another key highlight at CES will be Huang’s keynote speech scheduled for Jan. 6. The keynote from Huang comes six years after his last one in 2019, and will outline how AI and accelerated computing are reshaping the future of industries globally, Nvidia said.
The veteran engineer is also expected to share the progress Nvidia is making in supplying its cutting-edge GPU, called Blackwell, as well as possibly introduce the RTX 50, which is the company’s next-generation graphics card, according to tipsters.
